Up and Away! Photos of Rhinos in Flight

Rhino in Flight

Suspended from a helicopter, a critically endangered black rhino (sedated) takes a 10-minute flight to a vehicle destined for a new habitat safe from poachers.

Trussed-Up Rhino

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Suspending the rhinos from their ankles is the safest way for them to travel, according to the World Wildlife Foundation in South Africa, which oversees the rhino transfer program. Trucks are too slow, and suspending the animal in a net from a helicopter can interfere with its breathing.

Rhino in the Sky

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

The rhinos were taken on 10-minute flights to nearby trucks that would transfer them to new habitats.

Rhino Silhouette

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

A sedated rhinoceros silhouetted against the South African sky.

Rhino Transport

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

The WWF team moved the animals to a protected habitat in northern South Africa.

Wake Up, Rhino

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Jacques Flamand of WWF’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project administers the antidote to wake up a black rhino which has just been released to a new home after an epic 930 mile (1500 kilometer) journey.

Sleeping Rhino

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

A team of conservationists works on a sedated black rhino.

Rhino on the Ground

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Poachers target the rhinos for their horns, which bring a high price on the black market.

Strapping In

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

In the 1990s, the population of wild black rhinos was only about 2,000 individuals strong. This crisis situation has triggered efforts to relocate individuals to safe habitat, expanding their range. The hope is that the animals will breed quickly in their new homes.

Clearing the Trees

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

A rhino takes flight.

Up, Up and Away

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

The WWF rhino project has relocated almost 120 individuals since 2003.

Stephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science. She covers the world of human and animal behavior, as well as paleontology and other science topics. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has ducked under a glacier in Switzerland and poked hot lava with a stick in Hawaii. Stephanie hails from East Tennessee, the global center for salamander diversity. Follow Stephanie on Google+.

Stephanie Pappas, Live Science Contributor
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Rhino in Flight

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Suspended from a helicopter, a critically endangered black rhino (sedated) takes a 10-minute flight to a vehicle destined for a new habitat safe from poachers.

Trussed-Up Rhino

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Suspending the rhinos from their ankles is the safest way for them to travel, according to the World Wildlife Foundation in South Africa, which oversees the rhino transfer program. Trucks are too slow, and suspending the animal in a net from a helicopter can interfere with its breathing.

Rhino in the Sky

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

The rhinos were taken on 10-minute flights to nearby trucks that would transfer them to new habitats.

Rhino Silhouette

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

A sedated rhinoceros silhouetted against the South African sky.

Rhino Transport

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

The WWF team moved the animals to a protected habitat in northern South Africa.

Wake Up, Rhino

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Jacques Flamand of WWF’s Black Rhino Range Expansion Project administers the antidote to wake up a black rhino which has just been released to a new home after an epic 930 mile (1500 kilometer) journey.

Sleeping Rhino

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

A team of conservationists works on a sedated black rhino.

Rhino on the Ground

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

Poachers target the rhinos for their horns, which bring a high price on the black market.

Strapping In

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

In the 1990s, the population of wild black rhinos was only about 2,000 individuals strong. This crisis situation has triggered efforts to relocate individuals to safe habitat, expanding their range. The hope is that the animals will breed quickly in their new homes.

Clearing the Trees

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

A rhino takes flight.

Up, Up and Away

Credit: Green Renaissance/WWF

The WWF rhino project has relocated almost 120 individuals since 2003.